


Guess I'll just have to stay alive

by dragonflew



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, War Mention, injury mention, only a little though and it does not deviate from canon injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:21:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23912215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflew/pseuds/dragonflew
Summary: Hermione and Fred over the years.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Fred Weasley
Kudos: 64





	Guess I'll just have to stay alive

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate timeline where Fred doesn't die, but there's brief mentions of the war and injuries. If that might be disturbing, please don't read.

Hermione would rather die than admit it, but she quite admired the twins' inventions. 

As impressive as their products are, however she cannot condone the breaking of school rules. Nor can she allow them to test them on unsuspecting first years.

"What are you going to do, make us write lines?" the twins ask her, grinning.

She appeals to a higher power. "I shall tell your mother," she informs them, with all the sternness she can muster. She is pleased when they look horrified, more pleased when the first years stop being afflicted with abrupt fainting spells in the common room.

She is less pleased when she finds out months later that they've been doing it anyway. When she confronts them, they merely put on their best innocent faces, which anyone who'd known them for 2 seconds would see through.

When the twins offer to create a diversion for Harry, she worries herself sick, even though her friends are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Heaven knows they'd gotten into-and out of- enough trouble.

The swamp they leave is an impressive show of magic, and though she knows for a fact that any of the professors could get rid of it in an instant, and she could probably figure it out given a couple of weeks, she is viciously satisfied when Umbridge can't manage it, and gladly puts up with the annoying detours she has to take to avoid Filch.

She admits to herself that she misses them a little. The common room just isn't the same without their stupid and annoyingly legal promotions of sweets for skipping class, or people turning into canaries out of the blue. It certainly isn't the same without someone screaming bloody murder at the twins every other day or so.

She also turns a blind eye to the sudden plague of Umbridgeitis that follows the twins' departure. After all, the woman _was_ enough to make anyone sick, so there's nothing unnatural about it.

* * *

When the punching telescope gives her a black eye, she is understandably vexed, but to her surprise, her anger evaporates quickly, and disappears completely almost as soon as Fred apologetically gives her the remedy. _He's not that bad after all_ , she thinks, as she watches her bruise fade away. Much as she disapproved of some of their merchandise, their hearts were in the right places.

* * *

The war comes, and the shop remains the only bright spot in Diagon Alley. Mrs Weasley has already tried and failed to persuade the twins to tone down a little. Hermione knows she has no chance of getting them to hide, despite Ron being a fugitive by association with Harry. Why did she have to care about the most stubborn people?

* * *

7 Harrys leave the Dursley's house. One returns missing an ear. Hermione watches Fred worry himself sick about George, bursting into tearful laughter when George cracks a joke. She joins him at the table, after, when all the adults have left to do Order things, and George has fallen asleep. Her throat still stings from Firewhiskey and tears, and she is in need of comfort.

When Fred puts his hand on hers silently, she doesn't pull away.

* * *

Hermione screams when they bring him in, lying limp and listless in Percy's arms. She runs to join the Weasleys gathered around him, hugs Ginny fiercely and doesn't let go.

When Mrs Weasley announces that _he's alive_ , they sink to the floor together in relief.

* * *

She spends weeks in St Mungo's after the war. He may be alive, but that just means not dead yet, and the nurses' expressions tell her everything they are too kind to say. Fred's bedside is never empty, he is always accompanied by a Weasley, or Harry, or Hermione. George practically lives there, leaving only when someone drags him away to sleep in a bed for once.

"I'll kill you if you die," she whispers fiercely, on one of the rare occasions when she's alone there.

"Guess I'll just have to stay alive then."

**Author's Note:**

> Although I wholeheartedly support Ronmione, this idea wouldn't shush so I wrote it.


End file.
